SAN FRANCISCO, July 2, 2012 – Late on Friday afternoon, Supervisor Eric Mar’s re-election campaign received the official word from the San Francisco Ethics Commission that he is the first candidate in the city, from any district or any race, to qualify to receive public matching funds.

Supervisor Mar’s campaign will receive their first $20,000 in qualifying public funds from the city shortly.

Campaign spokeswoman Nicole Derse said, “This accomplishment highlights Supervisor Mar’s broad community support and the strength of our grassroots campaign. We are proud to be the only candidate in the city to have met this goal.”

To receive public financing, a candidate must collect at least $15,000 in qualifying contributions from San Franciscans for donations up to $100. Although many candidates, including Supervisor Mar, have raised substantially more funds than that, the threshold for public financing measures the quantity of low-dollar donations. Supervisor Mar’s campaign has received donations from over 450 individual donors, the vast majority of them from San Franciscans in amounts from $5-$100.

“I am incredibly honored to be the first candidate in the city to qualify for public financing. I look forward to engaging thousands of Richmond residents in our grassroots campaign over the next four months,” said Supervisor Eric Mar.

Supervisor Mar is running a strong grassroots campaign, and signature gathering and voter contact efforts will further intensify in July.

Supervisor Mar’s re-election campaign will open the doors on their new Richmond office at 5812 Geary Blvd. (at 22nd Avenue) this week and will hold an office opening celebration and signature gathering mobilization next Saturday, July 7th at 12:00 Noon.

Supervisor Mar will be updating information on his campaign regularly at his website www.ReelectMar.com“

Aslan, the Lion of the Richmond, is, once again, on the move, the same as four years ago:

Sorry, CW Nevius. The conservative-faction victory you, for some reason, so desperately seek won’t be found in District One. Not this year.

(Hey, remember back when those ne’er-do-well Catholic school bully boys broke somebody’s jaw and then got “railroaded” despite Ken Garcia’s attempts to smooth things over? And then they apologized, leaving KG hanging out to dry, blowing in the wind. Good times.)

1. After KG wakes up each morning, how many seconds pass before he starts pining for his very own seat at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors? I’d say about five. Heh. (You know, there’s been talk…)

2. And all this stuff about double-dipping – aren’t the campaigns, failed and successful, of sainted former Mayor Gavin Christopher Newsom the ne plus ultra of “double-dipping?” Hells yes. But has there been any criticism of GCN from KG on this score over the years? Nope. Consistent much, KG? Minus ten points for Slytherin.

3. Now, why on Gaia’s Green Earth should we subsidize people running for election? I mean, if you can swing it, if you can make a decent run, why wouldn’t you run for Mayor? Already, you’re using Other Peoples’ Money and then with the govmint kicking in more so that you can post your name and face all over the place, well, isn’t that a pretty sweet deal, whether you have a ghost of a chance of winning or not? So, yes, the voters who rubber-stamped public financing made a mistake. Fine, plus two for Slytherin House. D’accord.

4. And hey Ken, did you know that the Academy Award election for Best Motion Picture now uses Ranked Choice Voting? Get with the times, old man. Society benefits from RCV – read up on it if you get the chance, if you want….

Green Financing Program to help with energy and water retrofits for building owners

Supervisor Mar is working with Mayor Gavin Newsom, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Controller’s Office of Public Finance and the Department of the Environment to establish a program to allow San Franciscans to finance environmental improvements to the buildings they own. Today, Supervisor Mar introduced the first of a series of legislation to enable the green financing program.

“With almost half of San Francisco’s greenhouse gas emissions being produced by our homes and local buildings, this new green financing program will drastically curb San Francisco’s carbon footprint and reduce the strain on our regional water supply,” said Supervisor Eric Mar. “It will also help put San Franciscans to work through our growing green jobs academies and programs.”

This legislation will set up a Mello-Roos Special Tax District that would be available to finance privately–owned energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation improvements. The repayment obligationis attached to the property, rather than the individual, and is paid back through property taxes over the useful life of the improvements.

Currently, the largest barrier to building owners increasing their energy and water efficiency is the large up-front cost of improvements. Even with various government incentives and rebates, many home owners find it impossible to make energy or water efficiency improvements due to cost.

“It is my hope that many homeowners and building owners will opt into this great program and reap the benefits of lower utility and water bills while also helping our city achieve its ambitious climate action plan goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conserving water,” said Supervisor Eric Mar. “San Francisco will be the nation’s first large city to implement a program of this type,” said Mar.

This legislation is the first of a series of enabling pieces of legislation and Supervisor Mar will continue to work with community and environmental groups, the Mayor’s Office, Public Utilities Commission and other city departments to develop the green financing program.